According to The Hollywood Reporter, two-time Emmy winner Julie Bowen (Modern Family) will star opposite Melissa McCarthy (Ghostbusters) in New Line’s Life of the Party. Maya Rudolph (The Angry Birds Movie), Gillian Jacobs (Dean), Debby Ryan (TV’s Sing It!) and Molly Gordon (TV’s Animal Kingdom) are already on board.
Written by McCarthy and her filmmaker husband Ben Falcone, as well as directed by Falcone, the comedy is in the vein of Rodney Dangerfield in 1986’s comedy Back to School in which a middle-aged lude partier joins his son at college. The plot calls for Bowen and McCarthy to play enemies.
McCarthy and Falcone are producing along with Chris Henchy (Daddy’s Home).
Bowen has proved adept at comedy, as one of the stars of ABC’s multi-award-winning series Modern Family, still going strong after seven seasons. She has most recently appeared on the big screen in 2011’s comedy Horrible Bosses and 2012’s drama Knife Fight, and got early comedic recognition for her role in Adam Sandler’s Happy Gilmore.
Life of the Party is currently shooting in Atlanta and will bow in theaters on May 11, 2018.